Members of the General Assembly are considering giving themselves a pay raise.
Senators pull in $18,000 a year, and delegates make a little less – a salary that's remained unchanged for more than 30 years.
"In the 70s and 80s, the legislature was fairly good about periodically upping its own pay," says Justin Brown at the nonpartisan watchdog agency of the General Assembly – the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission – which recently studied the history of legislative compensation in Virginia. He says members of the legislature have earned the same salary since 1988.
"There's a reason why legislative salaries haven't gone up because it's hard to put in a bill to push your own pay up," Brown adds. "So, we looked across other states, and it seems like the ones that have a systematic, structured approach where the legislature is not directly involved is the best way to do this."
If lawmakers wanted to pay a salary closer to what other states pay – according to the report – it would be more than $30,000 a year. And if they wanted to adjust that 1988 salary for inflation, they would make almost $50,000 a year. Lawmakers will consider both of those recommendations when they gavel into session next month.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
